Every Dog Has His Day

Product Notes

There is a credo that states a writer can only convincingly portray what he truly knows. With A Moment in Time, Tony Doggett captures this essence in a cycle of songs that reveals the renewal of dreams, the complexities of love, and the miracle of inspiration. Tony's life as a musician has been paralleled by an extensive career in the Foreign Service, and he acknowledges and embraces both endeavors. "I don't want to pretend I'm two different people. I'm one thing, and I'm very much shaped by my life and all of my experiences," he avows. From Egypt to The Ivory Coast, Cameroon to Cambodia, a far-reaching perspective enhances a panoramic worldview. His CD debut, Every Dog Has His Day, was recorded and released in Zimbabwe while Please Don\'t Send Me to Zaire, his second CD, created a vivid musical memoir of living and working in the Third World. Now, A Moment in Time takes his journey inward, as it moves gracefully between soul and psyche. The songs that comprise this musical and lyrical suite were created in a scant 12-month period. The core of the arrangements is pristine, an intimacy achieved by Doggett recording his guitar and vocal first; then, with executive producer Charlie Hastings and co-producer John Krauss, selecting the appropriate musicians to orchestrate the spaces. "Like turning tinker toys into a battle ship from the ground up," he says of the sessions conducted at Cue Studios in Falls Church, Virginia. "It was very organic, with a lot of discovery along the way." The additional colors add style and substance. The ethereal hammered dulcimer of "Double Rainbow" evokes the magnificence of Lake Ohrid on the border of the Republic of Macedonia and eastern Albania. Violin and Dobro add an authentic Americana vibrancy to selected tracks, while a slinky saxophone and a swinging rhythm section enliven the nightclub vibe of "Walking With My Baby." "A Joker's Dream," the CD's most opaque offering, conjures up a state of somnambulistic reverie with hallucinatory overtones. As a baby-boomer, Doggett was inspired by the classic rock of the British Invasion and it's stateside counterparts. "I was always the guy with the guitar at the party -- the one who knew the words. I've always used the guitar as an icebreaker, as a way to get to know people." With A Moment In Time, the songwriter uses the craft of his songwriting to get to know himself as well, as he dedicates this work "to passion, without which life would simply be going through the motions." Clearly, as Tony Doggett reveals in these songs, he is moving toward new cycles of life, celebrating the shifting seasons of change, and honoring the exhilarating promise of possibility.

There is a credo that states a writer can only convincingly portray what he truly knows. With A Moment in Time, Tony Doggett captures this essence in a cycle of songs that reveals the renewal of dreams, the complexities of love, and the miracle of inspiration. Tony's life as a musician has been paralleled by an extensive career in the Foreign Service, and he acknowledges and embraces both endeavors. "I don't want to pretend I'm two different people. I'm one thing, and I'm very much shaped by my life and all of my experiences," he avows. From Egypt to The Ivory Coast, Cameroon to Cambodia, a far-reaching perspective enhances a panoramic worldview. His CD debut, Every Dog Has His Day, was recorded and released in Zimbabwe while Please Don\'t Send Me to Zaire, his second CD, created a vivid musical memoir of living and working in the Third World. Now, A Moment in Time takes his journey inward, as it moves gracefully between soul and psyche. The songs that comprise this musical and lyrical suite were created in a scant 12-month period. The core of the arrangements is pristine, an intimacy achieved by Doggett recording his guitar and vocal first; then, with executive producer Charlie Hastings and co-producer John Krauss, selecting the appropriate musicians to orchestrate the spaces. "Like turning tinker toys into a battle ship from the ground up," he says of the sessions conducted at Cue Studios in Falls Church, Virginia. "It was very organic, with a lot of discovery along the way." The additional colors add style and substance. The ethereal hammered dulcimer of "Double Rainbow" evokes the magnificence of Lake Ohrid on the border of the Republic of Macedonia and eastern Albania. Violin and Dobro add an authentic Americana vibrancy to selected tracks, while a slinky saxophone and a swinging rhythm section enliven the nightclub vibe of "Walking With My Baby." "A Joker's Dream," the CD's most opaque offering, conjures up a state of somnambulistic reverie with hallucinatory overtones. As a baby-boomer, Doggett was inspired by the classic rock of the British Invasion and it's stateside counterparts. "I was always the guy with the guitar at the party -- the one who knew the words. I've always used the guitar as an icebreaker, as a way to get to know people." With A Moment In Time, the songwriter uses the craft of his songwriting to get to know himself as well, as he dedicates this work "to passion, without which life would simply be going through the motions." Clearly, as Tony Doggett reveals in these songs, he is moving toward new cycles of life, celebrating the shifting seasons of change, and honoring the exhilarating promise of possibility.